Scripture Lesson: Colossians 1:1-14
A little boy wanted $100 very badly. He prayed for weeks, but nothing happened. So, he decided to write a letter to God requesting $100. When the postal authorities received the letter to "God, USA", they decided to send it to the President. The President was so amused that he instructed his secretary to send the little boy a $5 bill. The President thought this would appear to be a lot of money to a little boy.
The little boy was delighted with the $5 bill, and sat down to write a thank-you note to God. The postal authorities forwarded this letter on to the President, too.
It read: "Dear God, Thank you very much for sending the money. However, I noticed that for some reason you sent it through Washington, D.C., and those guys deducted $95 in taxes!"
Our scripture lesson this morning is taken from the opening lines of Paul’s letter to the Christians in Colossae. The reason he wrote the letter was because he heard that some false teachers has taught the Colossians to believe something more than what the Gospel has taught them. The letter didn’t mention what kind of heresy they are facing, but we can imagine that it must be similar to the issues we dealt with in our previous week’s lessons, such has the Judiaisers that wanted the gentiles to be circumcised if they want to become a Christians, or some false teachers that want them to observer a certain dietary discipline in order to be saved.
In this letter, Paul seems to be more interested in strengthening the spiritual life of the Christians than counter attacking the heresy. In the introduction of this letter he prescribed a preventive procedure for them to build up a strong spiritual life so that they won’t become venerable to heresy.
It is the early Christian tradition to start a letter with a prayer of thanksgiving and a prayer for the addressee. Paul usually starts his letter by giving thanks for the faith, love, and hope. Notice the three words in this passage:
“In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,” Notice that he says first about their faith in Jesus Christ, which is revealed in action through their love for all the saints. Remember that when the Bible talks about holiness or saints, it simply means believers. Saints and holy people are not some high and mighty spiritual beings, but those who believe in Jesus Christ and being set apart—holy means to set apart—for Jesus Christ. So the idea of holy is not about the excellence of character but the state of dedication to the work and worship of God. Remember, you all are saints. So don’t confuse with the sainthood of the Roman Catholic Church, which is given to only certain people. Every Christian is a saint, not because we deserve it, but because of God’s grace that invites us to him and sets us apart through our baptism.
So Paul gives thanks to God about these saints and for their faith in Jesus Christ and their love for all the saints—love is faith in action. And he continues in verse 5, “because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel.” He is in effect, saying that you have faith and love because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.
This particular way of describing hope kept me thinking about hope this weekend. Paul says the hope that is laid up for us in heaven enable us to have faith and love. In other words, hope is the foundation of faith and love.
Hope is a big thing for me. Years ago when I was in at UCSF for my Clinical Pastoral Education course, we were gathering as a small group to talk about our emotional states. The supervisor asked us, “What do you feel and what do you want to do right now?” When my turn came, I said that I wanted to curl up at the dark corner of a hall and smoke. Janet, our supervisor, asked me, “Sam, are you depressed?” I looked at her with surprise, “How do I know if I am depressed? I have felt like that all my life.” That was the beginning of my awakening to the reality of depression.
There are many interpretation of depression. Psychiatrically, it is chemical imbalance. But it didn’t solve my problem because my problem was not biological chemical imbalance. My problem was due to the lost of hope. When you lose hope, you just don’t want to live. You don’t even have a reason or energy to smile. When you lose hope, your body stop producing the necessary chemicals to make you happy, or to give you faith and make you love others. They prescribed me Zoloft, but it only works temporarily. When you have that chemical boost to make you happy, but you don’t have hope, what do you want to do? You just become crazy; you want to redirect that energy to somewhere else. No wonder some people committed suicide after taking those pills because you have a boost of emotional energy, or light heartedness, without the hope to match it.
When you grew up in a hopeless environment, the family was hopeless, the government was hopeless, the community was hopeless, you just stop hoping for the good. Some people put their hope in a better location. A lot of Burmese citizens, hope for escaping to Thailand, when they get to Thailand, they hope for Singapore, when the get to Singapore, they hope for Japan, and when they get to Japan, they hope for the Unites State, when they get to the United States, there is no more country to hope for and their depression just bursts out.
Paul says here that when you have hope, it helps you to have faith and love. So my question to myself was, “When did my hope die? At what age? And how to restore hope?” Hope is important for us to cope in life. If you are a parent, you need hope to except that you children will turn out to be good. If you are a young person, you need hope to except that your education will pay off. You need hope to cope! Where do I find this hope so that I will be spiritually healthy enough to produce the necessary chemical balance for my body?
The Colossian Christians was having the same problem. They are falling apart because some false teachers have come and taught them something that is not true and that takes their hope away, the hope that they originally got it from the gospel.
Paul says in verse 5, “You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God.” He says this hope comes from the truth, the gospel. And this gospel has been bearing fruit in the whole world.
The gospel has given hope to people all over the world. This is the hope that the Christians survived through the oppressions and persecutions around the world, under communism, Islam, and all kinds of dictatorships. Obviously a lot of people have got it. The Colossians have got it, but now some false teachers are teaching them a different gospel and they are beginning to fall apart. So Paul prayed for them and hoped that they would do the following four things to keep themselves spiritually healthy, so that they will be able to identify and resist heresy. Let’s look at these four items in Paul prayer. It’s his prayer for all of us too.
1 – Be filled with the knowledge of God’s will
“For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,” v.9
Paul pray that we may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. What is God’s will for you? If you know God’s will for you, you will never lose hope. Sometimes we think God’s plan for us is difficult and harsh, and we will never live up to God’s plan for us. You are wrong. This week, memorize this verse at home:
‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ Jer. 29:11 (NIV)
This is the passage that keeps me alive through many trials. It has given many people hope in the hard time and keeps them spiritually healthy and mentally balanced. The Gospel gives hope to people all over the world and it is free.
2 – Lead a life worthy of the Lord
"so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God." v.10
Paul says, as you grow in the knowledge of God, you need to lead a life worthy of the Lord. Knowledge without conduct is useless knowledge. If you know everything about God but if you don’t practice what you know, it is useless. It is like eating without exercising, you can become spiritually obese.
Christian message is also counter culture. All religions in the world ask you to live a worthy life so that you will receive the reward, but Christianity is different. God gives you the reward first and ask you to live up to it. And even if you can’t live up to it, you are already rewarded. It is like giving students ‘A’ before asking them to take the exam. If they are students of good conscience, they would try their best to make their effort worthy of the grade they have been already given.
When you grow in the knowledge of God will, you know what you going to get in eternity. So you have hope and you need to work out that hope.
This is another memory verse, Ephesians 2:10, “For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus (to watch TV, oh no) for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” We are created for good works and we need to exercise it and lead a worthy life.
3 – Be strengthen with all power
“May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience.” v. 11
We all need power to face our life. Every day is a challenge. We have serious power drainage because our world is rapidly changing. It is changing so fast that it makes your head spin just to catch up with what’s going on in the world today. A science book is already outdated by the time they leave the printing press. We also have a lot of issues to cope with, financial issues, parenting issues, health issues, and relational issue, and so on.
Notice Paul didn’t say the power is reduced proportionately according to our needs, but it is God’s glorious power and we are given the full power of God according to God’s nature, not according to our nature. God’s power prepares us for endurance and patience in everything we face. Everything, not just something.
This is another passage you need to memorize this week, Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
4 – Give thanks to God always
“joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.” v.12
The attitude of gratitude is the healthiest emotion. If you can think of something every morning to give thanks to, you will more likely to have a great day. Ask these questions every morning before you get out of bed?
1 – What am I grateful for this morning? – having a home, shelter, food, health, etc.
2 – Whom am I grateful for this morning? – having your children, friends, and relatives, church members to lean on.
If you know how to count the blessings, you will be spiritually fit. Paul says give thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. Ultimately you are sons and daughters of the Father who owns this universe and controls the eternity. You care going to inherit this immense universe and eternity. You need to give thanks to the Father for that.
Do you want to do God’s will? I am sure every Christian does. Then this is God’s will for you to memorize. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Notice, “this is the will of God.” Each time you give thanks in any circumstance, you are doing God’s will.
May God bless all of you! Amen!
